Another Hopeless Romance
by naiiviti
Summary: Sakurai Hitomi never felt like changing anything in her life. She was quite content to live as another ordinary human being. But romance often brings about change in people, whether you like it or not. Hitomi is just going to have to learn it the hard way as she falls heart first into love. (Takeru x OC).
1. Enter Heroine

**Author's Note: **Ah, well, hi. This is Naii. I just would like to say that this is particularly new to me. I'm not really all that comfortable with writing my own characters in stories (unless, you know, it's an original story) so I don't know how anyone will take this. Honestly, it just wrote itself down. Fair warning, I've only seen the anime so I'll apologize to any of the game buffs there. Basically, this story is based on the anime ending where they all suddenly appear before Yui. So this is somewhat an extended version of that. Also another warning, I don't update as much so please don't hate me if I take my time writing the next installment (if any of you will be interested that is). Reviews will be much appreciated and might motivate me but I hold no promises. Hehe... Oh! And before I forget, you guys can suggest who she ends up with if you want. I actually still haven't thought the whole thing through so anything can happen.

**Warnings: **Maybe OOC characters. I've only ever seen the anime once and haven't played the game so it might not be up to par.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_**Enter Heroine**_

* * *

"Did you hear about the new transfer students?"

Sakurai Hitomi- female, age 17, black hair, blue eyes, highschool senior- blinked once, twice, and swallowed the masticated piece of meat in her mouth before blinking owlishly at her friend with interest. They sat on the high tables available in a local café they both frequented in the mornings for a light breakfast and some coffee. She took a sip from her caramel macchiato before asking her friend to elaborate on the subject.

"New transfer students?"

Her friend, Takashi Nagisa, nodded her head enthusiastically. Her short, bleached blond hair bouncing along with every move. "Mhmm!" she hummed, "I hear they're super hot! And all foreigners! Kyoko-chan saw them yesterday while she was doing library work!"

Swinging her legs thoughtlessly from beneath the table, Hitomi let her mind wander. "Transfer students huh?" she mumbled to herself as she tried to imagine how they looked like. Since they all hail from abroad, maybe they have large noses and big eyes? Probably tanned since they liked to bathe in the sun. They probably even have all those huge, beefy arms. Hitomi made a face at the thought.

"I wonder if any of them will be in our class. Apparently they're all well acquainted with Kusanagi-san so two or three might join us." Nagisa continued. Hitomi turned to her friend with her mouth agape, "Ah? Two or three?" she asked, "Just how many new students are there?"

The blond paused thoughtfully, a finger to her chin as she tried to mentally recount the individuals Kyoko had gushed at her the previous night, "Ah, there were seven of them I think?" she replied.

"And they all came from the same school?"

"Apparently."

Hitomi sighed. She wondered what made seven students from the same school decide to transfer in a school like theirs? It wasn't like she didn't think much of her high school but honestly it was just like any other high school there is.

"Well, I suppose if they're going to be in our class we'll find out soon enough." Hitomi muttered as she stood up and stretched; a grimace on her face as she felt the bones in her spine cracking pleasurably.

She grabbed her bag and walked out the café with Nagisa following behind her. Their conversation soon stirred away from the new students and to more personal matters and Hitomi found herself forgetting about the new students altogether.

* * *

That was until she found two of them standing in her front of the class an hour or so later.

* * *

"Fairy!" someone shouted from the door as they slammed it open. Hitomi jumped in her seat with surprise and turned to the male who was entering the class with a carefree grin on his face. Another male followed close behind him with eyes closed and arms crossed behind his head.

"Apollon-san! Loki-san!" Kusanagi Yui, their current class representative exclaimed. Hitomi glanced at her quickly, noting the soft, gentle smile she directed at the two. It seemed that Nagisa was right about that then. Both aforementioned Apollon-san and Loki-san turned to Kusanagi with a matching expression before making their way towards her. They all seemed rather close. Hitomi cocked her head to the side. Maybe they all met during the break?

Their teacher coughed lightly in her hand as she guided both Apollon and Loki back to the front of the class to introduce them and Hitomi took it as her chance to really look at the two.

"I'm sure you've all heard about the new students," Kuramochi-sensei's voice carried out across the room, "two of them will be joining our class from now on so please take care of them." She gestured to the blond who hasn't stopped smiling and seemed as though he was bouncing on his heels.

"This is Apollon A-agan Bela- Bel- " the blond stopped his movement to hold unto sensei's forearm and shot her a dazzling smile, "It's quite alright," he said, his voice light and airy, "A lot of people have a hard time pronouncing it." he told her.

With a nod from sensei, the blond stepped forward and gave the class a bow. Hitomi could already hear some of the girls in their class muttering amongst themselves, "I'm Apollon Agana Belea. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hitomi studied him from her seat. His hair was a striking gold if she really had to describe it. It was an unruly mess on top of his head but it suited him well. He had beautiful green eyes that Hitomi had a hard time looking away from. He stood tall, towering over most of the people in the room but that was a given considering his foreign heritage. His skin was lighter than what she was expecting but she could tell that he did spend a lot of his time in the sun. His physique was also rather impressive. Even with the uniform, Hitomi could see that he had a well developed body that made her think that perhaps he did sports. Foreigners liked sports didn't they? Maybe soccer?

Hitomi's attention was drawn away to the other new student as he stepped forward as well, not even waiting for sensei to try and introduce him herself. "Loki Laevatein," he said. "Please take care of me." He winked at his audience and this time, Hitomi really did hear the girls swoon in their seats.

Like Apollon, Hitomi studied Loki carefully. He had wild red hair that flared around his face. He was an inch or so taller than Apollon and was a tad slimmer as well. His long limbs were well accentuated with the uniform. He was also a bit tanned and Hitomi patted herself on the back for at least guessing about it right; it didn't really matter she was expecting them darker than they were, tanned is tanned after all. He had curious marks on the side of his right eye (beauty marks? It's a wonder they're aligned though) and a beauty mark right below his chin.

They were both smiling at Kusanagi again. Hitomi once again glanced at her and saw that her expression didn't change throughout the whole time they were introducing themselves. Hitomi wondered if they had _that _kind of relationship with them. She didn't really think that Kusanagi was the type to be in a polyamorous relationship but Hitomi didn't really know her that well.

Either way, if that was the case, it really wasn't her business. So she turned back to the window and watched the clouds drift by, quickly losing interest in the new students but not before wondering what the other five were like.

"Sakurai-san."

She noticed the weather had been particularly beautiful the past couple of days. It seemed it was going to rain forever. It was hard to go out and have some fun in that weather.

"Sakurai-san."

A lazy smile appeared on her face when she noticed one of the clouds looked like a rabbit. It was so cute.

"Sakurai-san!"

Hitomi jumped in her seat for the second time that morning as Kuramochi-sensei called out to her harshly.

"Yes, mam!" she exclaimed in response, standing up from her seat rigidly. Almost everyone laughed as he chair toppled to the floor. Kuramochi-sensei sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Beside her, the new students laughed along with everyone. Apollon politely tried to cover his amusement but Loki just laughed outright. Hitomi could feel herself flush.

"I was just asking you to raise your hand so Apollon-san can know where to seat."

Hitomi blinked. Once, twice, before giving her teacher an awkward grin. "Ah, right. Sorry." She glanced at Apollon before raising her hand, "Hey."

Kuramochi-sensei once more before turning back to Apollon and Loki, "You two can take your seats now." she then glanced at Hitomi with a frown, "While you can sit back down."

Hitomi took her seat and buried her face in her hands, trying to make the blush disappear from her face through sheer will power. Ah, that was so embarrassing. To make a fool of herself and to be laughed at by the new students of all things. She could just feel Nagisa's pitying stare from across the room.

"I'm sorry." She heard someone whisper behind her. She turned around to find Apollon staring at her with a concerned look on his face, "I didn't mean to laugh at you. I'm sure Loki didn't either."

Hitomi shook her head, her hair flying everywhere, "Ahahaha no, it's alright." She whispered back, "It was my fault anyway, I wasn't listening."

Apollon grinned, "I guess we can call it even then?" he asked. Hitomi smiled, "Definitely."

They both laughed quietly under their breaths, before Apollon once again started the conversation, "What's your name?"

"Ah, it's Sakurai Hitomi." She replied, "It's not quite as pretty as your name though. Ah- Belea-san?" she said hesitantly.

Apollon chuckled, "You can call me Apollon. And I disagree. I like your name. All foreign names sound beautiful."

Hitomi could feel the start of a blush climbing up her neck as she laughed, "Thanks, I guess."

She was sure Apollon was going to say something more but a meter stick found its way swinging inches from their face and hitting the blond's table with a resounding smack. Both Apollon and Hitomi sat frozen as they stared each other before their eyes slowly traveled up the meter stick to meet the Kuramochi-sensei's irritated scowl.

"I'm glad you're making friends here rather quickly, Apollon-san," she started, "But I'd prefer if you do it on your own time and not during my class. Is that understood?" Apollon gulped before nodding his head, "Understood."

Hitomi could feel the hairs at the back of her neck stand on edge when the sensei's eyes found her, "As for you, Sakurai-san, this is the second time today that you have your mind elsewhere. You cross me one more time and I will send you to the principal's office. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mam." Hitomi's shaking voice answered.

Satisfied, Kuramochi-sensei made her way back to the front of the class and continued her lesson. Hitomi sent Apollon a shaky, apologetic grin before finally paying attention to whatever it was on the board.

* * *

Hitomi leaned back on her chair as she looked over at Apollon who was slumped in his seat. As soon as it was free period, he headed right for Kusanagi only for her to be swept away by sensei for some important business or something. Oh the joys of being the class rep.

Beside him, Loki sat on a chair he claimed from someone (who had happily given it to him anyway what with that blush on her cheeks) and had his feet resting on Apollon's table. They hadn't spoken yet, only sitting in quiet silence as they waited for Apollon to turn back on.

Hitomi looked towards the other side of the classroom only to find Nagisa staring at her with an expression that said _Talk to them! _Normally, she would have made a beeline towards Hitomi or vice versa. But for some reason Nagisa was adamant that she spend her free time trying to talk to their new classmates. She sighed and admitted defeat.

"So," she starts, "Laevatein-san?" the name sounded weird to her and felt unnatural on her lips.

He waved off her utter massacre of his name, "Just Loki is fine," he says with a smile and Hitomi nods, "Loki-san then." She corrects, "Well, uh, I was wondering, what school did you guys come from? I heard all of new students came from the same one?"

Loki smiled mischievously, as he was in on a joke that she didn't know, "Ah yeah. It's a pretty small place though so I don't think anyone would have heard of it."

"Oh?"

"It's called Ludere Deorum," Loki says with a twinkle in his eyes, "It's latin for mischief of the gods."

Hitomi raised a brow, a hint of amusement on her lips, "The school is called _Mischief of the Gods_?" she repeats, "Really?"

Loki shrugs. "It is what it is. No one really understood how the guy who ran the place worked so." Another shrug. "Even this guy," he shoves at Apollon's face with his foot but the blond didn't seem to mind, still lot in his own misery, "who's the son of that weird bastard doesn't know how his own father works."

She blinks once, twice, before tilting her head in confusion, "Wait- wait." Loki gives her another one of those inside-joke smiles he has but Hitomi pays it no mind. "If he's the son of the guy who owns your previous school, then why transfer?"

"Oh you know. See the sights. Invest in the culture. Spend time with some friends."

"Uh-huh. Friends." Hitomi's eyes lingered on Kusanagi's empty seat before raising a brow at Loki. "By any chance, are you-?"

Before she could even finish her question, Loki had his finger on Hitomi's lips to silence her. Hitomi was sure she could hear Nagisa's muffled squeal from where she sat.

"I know what you're going to say," the red head started, "And I'll tell you right now that no. I'm not in a relationship with koneko-chan. And neither is he." He gave a pointed look at Apollon before releasing Hitomi's mouth slowly then leaning back on his chair, once again resting his feet on the desk.

"Koneko-chan? Sure doesn't seem like it." Hitomi said with a sly smirk and Loki gave her one of his own in return.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you. Don't go spreading it around, she's special to me, but as a friend." He glanced at Apollon once more, "It might be different for him though."

"Ah. Alright. So you're all good friends with Kusanagi-san so you decided to follow her in school. Makes sense."

"I sense sarcasm from you. I like it."

"Why thank you, kind sir."

There was a lull in their conversation as they once again just sat there, watching Apollon drool, before Hitomi tried again, "So, you're childhood friends or something?"

Loki laughed loud and boisterous; loud enough to shake Apollon from his stupor to stare at him worriedly.

"Loki-loki?" he asked, his voice quiet and confused at the turn of events. Loki ignored him and gave Hitomi a toothy grin, "What's with the 20 questions regarding Kusanagi?" he asked, "You jealous of her or something?"

Hitomi blushed and her fists clenched the fabric of her skirt tightly. "Am not!" she exclaimed. "She's just the only thing I kind of know about you guys so I'm curious. I don't think that's a crime!" She crossed her arms across her chest and pouted, looking away at the window. Apollon continued to look between the two, completely at a lost to what was happening.

The red head chuckled once before leaning forward to tilt Hitomi's chin in his direction, "So defensive."

"I am not being defensive!"

They continued bickering, completely ignoring Apollon who had tried to understand what the conversation was about but has now given up. They only stopped when they heard the blond call out "Fairy!" happily.

Looking up, Hitomi saw Kusanagi walking toward them. A thoughtful look on her face as she approached the table.

"Fairy! I missed you!" Apollon cried as he stuck himself on Kusanagi. Kusanagi laughed and didn't try to pry Apollon off even though she seemed slightly uncomfortable with the sudden attention this brought. All eyes were on them, completely surprised at how close their class rep was with the new student.

Loki noticed this and stood up, grabbing Apollon and guiding him away from Kusanagi.

"I'm happy to see you two are adjusting well." She said smiling.

Apollon nodded happily, "It's all because of Tomi-tomi. She's been really nice to us."

Kusanagi turned to Hitomi with a smile, "Thank you for taking care of them, Sakurai-san. They're really not used to life around here so I thought it'd be hard for them to adapt."

"It's fine. It was no trouble at all." Hitomi replied. She could feel another blush coming on. She's never really spoken to Kusanagi and for her to be thanking Hitomi like this didn't seem at all likely before.

"Fairy!" Apollon called out, "Have you seen the others?"

"Yes. They all seem to be adjusting well."

Apollon smiled, "That's good."

Hitomi listened to them quietly. She almost forgot that there were actually seven of them who transferred into their grade.

She was completely caught off-guard when Apollon turned to her, grabbing her hands and holding it to his chest, "Would you like to meet them?"

Hitomi only managed a nod before her head was pressed to Apollon's chest. The blush didn't come gradually this time and the blood just quickly filled up her head. Dizzy and confused, she went limp in Apollon's arms.

She could hear Loki laugh once more as he commented, "Looks like you broke her."

* * *

**End Chapter**


	2. Almost Like a Dating Sim-- Oh, Wait

**Author's Note:** First order of business, I would like to thank all those who reviewed, fave'd, and followed this story. It's more than I actually expected so I'm really how you guys took to this. Second order of business, I would like to apologize to how long it took me to update. I really, really am sorry. The first chapter wrote itself but it was so hard trying to get the second chapter out. Even though this chapter is more on introductions again, there were multiple ways on how I tried to treat it and this was the version I ended up liking. There's not much story yet, but we're getting there. The plot will probably take off next chapter which I hope will not be as late as this one. Rest assured though it will be up by the end of September.

**Warnings:** Bad grammar (I have a problem with tenses in general) and OOC-ness probably.

**Story so far: **There are seven new transfer students in Hitomi's school and two of them end up in her class. Having met them and is considered a friendly face, Apollon and Loki decide to take her out to meet the others.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**_Almost Like a Dating Sim- Oh, wait. _**

* * *

"I'm sorry I can't go, alright! I just- I'm kind of tied up with something already." Hitomi told Nagisa as her friend refused to look at her. The blond huffed and puffed and pouted. Closing her shoe locker, Hitomi propped her arm on her hip, her irritation slowly building as her friend refused to hear her out.

"Why don't you just tell me right to my face that you like Kusanagi-san and her hot friends better than you like me!" Nagisa whined at her. Hitomi refused to raise her voice so she simply turned around and walked.

"Hey! Wait! We weren't done talking!" Nagisa yelled behind her. Hitomi stopped to glare at the blond, "Oh, we were talking now, were we?"

Nagisa shrank under her gaze but stayed firmly planted on the ground. "Just-" she squeaked, "Why won't you come to dinner?"

Hitomi sighed, "I already promised Apollon-san that I'll come with them. I'm sure your parents will understand if I'm not there."

Nagisa sighed, took deep breaths, and raised her hands in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay. But you know how I hate eating out with my parents. They are so embarrassing!"

Hitomi laughed as Nagisa smiled at her. "Why are you being such a brat about it anyway? I skipped your family dinners before, you never seemed to mind."

"I just. You know how insecure I am. I thought you were going to spend more time with the new kids than with me. I know how you like interesting things and I'm pretty sure those foreigners count as interesting."

Grabbing her by the neck, Hitomi ruffled Nagisa's hair playfully. "Don't be silly," she said. "You're my best friend."

"Yeah yeah, I know I'm the best."

"So, I'll get going now. I'll talk to you later."

"Just so you know," Nagisa suddenly whispered, she grabbed Hitomi to mutter it in her ear, "If you're going to look for a boyfriend, find me one too. Personally, I like Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome. I saw him with Loki-san during lunch so if you could put in a good word for me."

Hitomi laughed and pushed her friend off, "Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Great! Have fun for me, will you?"

"Will do!"

* * *

Hitomi walked slowly behind Apollon, Loki, and Kusanagi. They were talking casually, Apollon right up front; his boisterous laughter carrying loud and clear in empty sidewalk, Kusanagi and Loki adding to the conversation once in awhile. Hitomi felt uncomfortable with the set-up. She had ditched her best friend to accompany these three but now she was feeling rather out of place and want to turn back and go with Nagisa to her family dinner.

Loki, sensing her discomfort, slowed his pace in order to walk with her. Hitomi could only smile at him gratefully, finally relaxing somewhat at the prospect of being in conversation with someone instead of feeling like a metaphorical third wheel.

"So, you nervous?" Loki asked, cocking his head to the side. His arms were tucked behind his head and his braid following behind him. Hitomi stared at it, as she missed it earlier, quite amused at the long braid of hair as it whipped in every direction as he walked.

"Oh, um, I don't know. I mean, I don't know what to expect." She replies, fiddling with her bag.

"Well, I guess you could say we're all a catch. So it wouldn't be surprising if you were nervous."

Hitomi laughed, "Loud, brash, and arrogant isn't really my thing."

Loki grinned, "You say that now, but I assure you that one day, you'll be groveling at my feet."

They talked some more, Kusanagi and Apollon joining them halfway to their destination and Hitomi had almost forgotten they were supposed to meet with others.

"Ah, look! There they are!" Apollon exclaimed when he peered into the distance. Waiting by the corner bend, lounging on a local convenience store and biting into popsicles, were six people wearing their school uniform. Hitomi counted them in her head and found that all in all, there were eight new students, including Apollon and Loki.

"Balder!" Loki yelled when they were near enough and had broken out into a run, leaving them behind to tackle a long haired blond. Apollon and Kusanagi hurried to them as well, exclaiming joyously at their friends as though they haven't seen each other in years. Hitomi was left at the side again, awkwardly shuffling her foot as she waited to be called on.

Sure enough, Apollon's face brightened considerably when he finally remembered about his guest. He quickly went back for her and pulled her alongside him where everyone had stopped to watch curiously, wondering on who she was.

"Right!" Apollon started, clapping his hands for emphasis, "I almost forgot to introduce you!" He gestured to Hitomi with a big wave of his hand, "This is Tomi-tomi! She's in our class! She was super nice to Loki and me so I invited her to have dinner with us!"

Hitomi waved at them awkwardly, "Um, hi. My name's actually Sakurai Hitomi. It's nice to meet you."

She felt completely unnerved with the staring everyone did, as if they were sizing her up, and Hitomi felt as though she really should have just gone with Nagisa instead. She was just about to say so, maybe apologize for intruding, when she felt Loki's arm slip across her shoulder. She turned to him and he grinned at her, eyes twinkling mischievously before turning back to his friends.

"Hitomi here is really shy so you guys better be gentle with her," he says, "She's already plenty startstruck so you shouldn't tease her so much."

Hitomi flushed before pushing Loki off of her, "Quit it! I am not starstruck!" she yelled at him and tried to hit him with her bag. He gracefully evaded her attacks without breaking a sweat and laughing at her all the while. She really was getting tired of all his antics and wanted nothing more than to wipe the shit-eating grin off his face.

Before she could try and deliver another hit though, she heard the laughter and she looked back to find that everyone had started laughing. Hitomi could feel the blood rushing to her face once again. Was it really always going to be like this? That whenever she meets new people, she just has to embarrass herself in front of them?

_Just kill me now, _she thought inwardly with a groan as her fists clench at her side in exasperation.

As though hearing her thoughts, the blond Loki had tackled in a bear hug earlier approached he with his hand reaching out to her. "Please don't take it the wrong way. It's just, rare to see Loki getting along so well with mortals."

Hitomi cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Uh? Mortals?"

A light blush dusted Balder's face before he shook he shook his head, his blond hair following his every move. "Oh, um, nothing. I meant, Asians. He doesn't particularly take well with those from the orient."

Hitomi wasn't buying it, but just smiled politely at the other while everyone else exchanged hesitant looks. Another red head, his hair a lot darker than that of Loki, wrapped his arm around Loki's next and chuckled, "He has a bit of an ego, you see." He says, "He even used to bully Yui around before eventually warming up to her."

Everyone chuckled as they reminisced and Hitomi felt as though she was intruding. Kusanagi came beside her with a smile and tried to placate her uneasiness, "I should introduce you," she says. Automatically, everyone had gathered around them in welcome.

Kusanagi started to their right where Loki was tightly gripping the blond's arm in a possessive manner. The said blond had beautiful long hair that reached his waist and clear, periwinkle blue eyes. The gentle smile never left his face, "This is Balder Hringhorni."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says as he took her hand and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it. Hitomi knew that Nagisa will probably get a heart attack when she hears about this.

They moved on to the red head who still had his arm around Loki. He looked incredibly relaxed, his face telling Hitomi that he was one of those laid-back types. He was tall and muscular, but not overly-so. His hair was a dark red, reminiscent of that of wine, and spiked outwards and reached the junction of his neck and shoulders. His eyes was a clear green and he had a dangling earring hanging from his left ear. "Dionysus Thyrsos," he says, introducing himself. "I'm Apollon's brother."

Hitomi's eyes widened a tad bit before looking over at Apollon who was smiling as confirmation before a look of excited revelation had him pulling a dark haired, older man to the group. He seemed to be uncomfortable having everyone's attention and tried to pull back but Apollon had a firm grip on his shoulder.

The man had medium length, wavy hair that he used to cover his face. He also had a deep, dark, red eyes. He seemed intimidating at first but now that Hitomi was having a closer look, she could see that he was more uncomfortable around others than she expected. She smiled at him in amusement, _How cute… _she thought briefly before he turned away from her calculating gaze and Hitomi was startled to find that he had pointed ears.

"This is our uncle, Hades Aidoneus. He's our fahter's brother." Apollon introduced. Hades gave her a quick glance, a hello, and moved away from the group as he ignored Apollon's whining.

Something was trying to claw its way out of Hitomi's mind as their names settled in her head. They all seemed rather familiar but she couldn't pinpoint where exactly, so she did her best to ignore the sensation.

The introduction continued, this time her attention being brought forward to a tan skinned, tall fellow who had been standing behind Balder all this time. His golden eyes held a piercing, hypnotic gaze. He had short green hair that was shaved a bit around the bottom left side of his head, a lightning bolt making itself apparent. Hitomi guessed this was the guy that Nagisa was talking about earlier. They were all attractive, but he was in another league altogether.

"Thor Megingyoruzu." Balder introduced, "Loki, him, and I have been friends our whole lives." He says with an affectionate tone. Loki, who had been silent all this time, linked his arms with Hitomi and tried to make her understand more about his friend, "Don't worry if he doesn't talk much. He's pretty much satisfied with just watching. Which becomes rather creepy sometimes but you'll get used to it."

Thor snorts as he heard Loki's comment but doesn't deny it. Hitomi could tell from the affectionate smile on his face though that he valued both Balder and Loki deeply and was probably very protective of them. She found herself warming up to him instantly. She could understand the feeling.

There was a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to find a lavender-haired boy staring down at her. He was tall, with pale skin, and deep gold-colored eyes. His hair looked silky and smooth and flared outward toward the bottom. He didn't talk, just stared at her quietly that Hitomi found to be slightly unnerving.

Sensing her discomfort, Kusanagi approached her from behind and gestured to the man in front. "This is Totsuka Tsukito." She says with a smile. She turned to the man and smiled encouragingly at him, "Please introduce yourself properly Tsukito-san."

Tsukito blinked at her almost groggily before turning his attention back to Hitomi, "It's nice to meet you." He says, his voice dull and strangely robotic.

"It's nice to meet you too," she managed to reply and surprisingly, he rewarded her with a small, genuine smile. "Ah, you're Japanese?" she asked, curious and intrigued at the same time.

He blinked at her before looking up as he tried to think of an appropriate answer, "Yes and no. It's our heritage, I suppose."

His eyes then turned to the side, affixing his gaze on the last of the group to be introduced. He had dark blue hair that reminded Hitomi of the sea on a clear day. A short tail was tied in a tight ponytail while the other strands that couldn't be tied were kept in place with a black headband and ended up flaring outwards. He was slightly darker than Tsukito but had the same eyes as he did, although they were a bit darker. He stood away from them all and had his hands buried in his pockets as he looked towards the sky.

"My brother, Takeru." Tsukito says, and hearing his name, Takeru looks towards them. A curious look on his face before a sneer overcame his features.

"What?" he asked, directly asking Hitomi who stepped back at the tone of his voice.

"N-nothing!" she automatically exclaimed. She heard him scoff before walking off, not completely leaving the group, but far enough that he wouldn't be pulled into a conversation with them.

Loki came up beside her, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned forward to speak to her, "Forget about him. He's just a grump that doesn't know when to relax."

Tsukito nodded, trying to justify his brother's actions, "He doesn't do well with new people." He says. Hitomi nods uncertainly but still tried to be sympathetic, "Oh. Well, I guess that's understandable."

She still feels that his hostility towards her was completely uncalled for.

"Well, why don't we all head out to dinner then?" Balder suggested, breaking her train of thought. He walked off, leading the group with Loki quickly trailing behind him. Hitomi followed behind them, watching from at the back of the group.

They all seemed rather intimidating at first, but after the few minutes that she had spend trying to know them, they were actually pretty nice people. And seeing Kusanagi talking with Apollon and Dionysus happily, she was starting to understand how she feels when around these people. It was very hard to stay nervous around them when really, they were a bunch of normal people. It was actually kind of cute.

A soft giggle escapes her lips as she thought back on how most of the girls at school seemed to think of them as gods.

"What are you laughing at?" a hostile voice called out to her and she straightened her back in response and turned around to find Takeru glaring at her suspiciously. She gave him a forced grin, trying not to anger him.

"N-nothing. It was nothing."

He didn't seem convinced but proceeded to ignore her and walked off, catching up with his friends. His shoulders visibly relaxing when he caught up with his brother.

Hitomi pouted.

Gods. Yeah, right.

* * *

**End Chapter**


End file.
